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The Text of the New Testament: An Introduction to the Critical Editions and to the Theory and Practice of Modern Textual Criticism, 2 nd. ed.

A definitive introduction to New Testament textual criticism, this book includes a comparison of the major editions of the New Testament, detailed description and analysis of the manuscripts of the Greek New Testament, and discussion on the value of the early versions. This second edition contains two new supplementary essays as well as revised plates, tables, and charts.

The Blackwell Companion to the New Testament is a detailed introduction to the New Testament, written by more than 40 scholars from a variety of Christian denominations.

It treats the 27 books and letters of the New Testament systematically, beginning with a review of current issues and concluding with an annotated bibliography. The companion considers the historical, social and cultural contexts in which the New Testament was produced, exploring relevant linguistic and textual issues. It's an international contributor list of over 40 scholars represent wide field expertise and a variety of Christian denominations.

Displacing Christian Origins. Philosophy, Secularity and the New Testament

Recent critical theory is curiously preoccupied with the metaphors and ideas of early Christianity, especially the religion of Paul. The haunting of secular thought by the very religion it seeks to overcome may seem surprising at first, but Ward Blanton argues that this recent return by theorists to the resources of early Christianity has precedent in modern and ostensibly secularizing philosophy, from Kant to Heidegger.

Acclaimed New Testament scholar Francois Bovon engagingly and concisely explores the last days of Jesus. Detailing the similarities and differences in the passion narratives of the four canonical Gospels and the Gospel of Peter, he shows that these stories were not composed by objective witnesses but are reflections of the perspectives of those who wrote them. This lucid, highly readable, yet critical appraisal of Jesus' final days is a masterful example of the discipline of biblical studies.

Bryan combines literary, historical, and theological approaches in this study of the doctrine of the Resurrection. In the first part of the book, the author provides a careful and sympathetic description of first-century Jewish and pagan opinions and beliefs about death and what might follow. He then presents a general account of early Christian claims about the death and resurrection of Jesus of Nazareth. In the second part, Bryan offers a detailed, full-length commentary on and exegesis of the main New Testament texts that speak of Jesus' death and resurrection: 1 Corinthians 15 and the narratives in the four canonical gospels. In the third part, Bryan discusses and evaluates various proposals that have been made by those attempting to explain the data in ways that differ from the traditional Christian explanation. Finally, Bryan asks, "So what?" and considers various theological and ethical implications of accepting the claim "Jesus Christ has been raised from the dead." Throughout his study, Bryan exhibits a willingness to face hard questions as well as an appropriate reverence for a faith that for almost two thousand years has enabled millions of people to lead lives of meaning and grace.

This book offers an authoritative and accessible introduction to the New Testament and early Christian literature for all students of the Bible and anyone interested in the origins of Christianity. It is designed primarily for undergraduate courses in the New Testament, biblical studies and early Christianity. Delbert Burkett focuses on the New Testament, but also looks at a wealth of non-biblical writing to examine the history, religion and literature of Christianity in the years from 30 CE to 150 CE. An appendix containing translations of primary texts allows instant access to the writings outside the canon. With this textbook and the Bible, the student should therefore have all the necessary basic texts. The book is organised systematically with questions for in-class discussion and written assignment, step-by-step reading guides on individual works, special box features, charts, maps and numerous illustrations designed to facilitate student use.

Richard Burridge's acclaimed study of the Christian Gospels is significantly updated and expanded in this second edition. Here Burridge engages the field of Gospel studies over the last hundred years, arguing convincingly for viewing the Gospels as biographical documents of the sort common throughout the Graeco-Roman world. In pursuing the question of his book's title, Burridge compares the work of the Christian evangelists with that of Graeco-Roman biographers. Drawing on insights from literary theory, he demonstrates that the widespread view of the Gospels as unique is false and discusses what a properly "biographical" perspective means for Gospel interpretation. New to this second edition of What Are the Gospels? are a long final chapter detailing the recent paradigm shift in Gospel scholarship -- a shift due in large part to this very book -- a foreword by Graham Stanton, and an appendix on the absence of comparable early Jewish biographies.

The quality of contributions in this volume reflects the eminence of Sandy Wedderburn, who taught at St Andrews before moving to Durham and finally to Munich to succeed Ferdinard Hahn. The topics addressed reflect Wedderburn's interests and include a comparison of the Lord's Supper with cultic meals in Qumran and in Hellenistic cults, glossolalia in Acts, the Lukan prologue, 'new creation' in Paul, and Adam and Christ in Romans. The contributors include David Aune, Richard Bauckham, Richard Bell, James Dunn, Ferdinand Hahn, Christina Hoegen-Rohls, Robert Jewett, Hans Klein, H.-W. Kuhn, David Moessner, Stanley Porter, Heikki Raisanen, Margaret Thrall, Oda Wischmeyer and Chrisitian Wolff. - See more at: http://www.bloomsbury.com/uk/paul-luke-and-the-graeco-roman-world-9780567084903/#sthash.i9uA5BBw.dpuf

Judaism, Jewish Identities and the Gospel Tradition: Essays in Honour of Maurice Casey

Judaism, Jewish Identities and the Gospel Tradition is a collection of essays focused on what is now a major issue in contemporary gospel studies. The essays are in honour of Maurice Casey who has made major contributions to our understanding of the Jewish context of Jesus and the gospels. Fittingly, however, this collection of essays will avoid the conventional festschrift format and is designed to be a detailed analysis in its own right. This volume will look at the ways in which 'Judaism' can function as an analytical concept in gospel scholarship. This will include an overview of the ways in which Judaism is used in the canonical gospels and how this relates to the idea of a 'Jewish Jesus', in addition to specific examples of similarities with, and differences from, various Jewish traditions in the gospels, constructions of gender, the impact of the historical Jesus, and the significant steps toward Christian distinctiveness made in the gospel of John. Contributors include Andrew Angel, Roger D Aus, George J Brooke, David Bryan, Bruce Chilton, Daniel Cohen, James G Crossley, Wendy E S North, and Catrin Williams, with a preface by C K Barrett.

Personal, experiential faith is seldom given a seat at the table of academic theology and biblical studies. David Crump, however, with the assistance of Soren Kierkegaard's religious philosophy, claims that "authentic understanding, and thus authentic Christian commitment, can only arise from the personal commitment that is faith."Examining the various biblical, historical, cultural, theological, and academic hurdles demanding a truly Kierkegaardian leap of faith before one can meet the resurrected Jesus, Crump's Encountering Jesus, Encountering Scripture provides a very insightful discussion of key New Testament texts and issues revealing how Truth is discovered only through the subjectivity of faith.

Compact, intelligent primer on the New Testament from a renowned scholarIn this coherent and integrated introduction to basic issues in the study of the New Testament, James Dunn has gathered texts from three sets of lectures that he gave in 2009 to Catholic and Jewish audiences in Italy, Spain, and Israel. Each of these lectures aimed to introduce otherwise well-informed people to topics that were new or unfamiliar to them making this book ideal for readers and students of various theological backgrounds both within and beyond the Christian community.

Unity and Diversity in the New Testament. An Inquiry into the Character of Earliest Christianity, third edition

Unity and Diversity in the New Testament is a thorough investigation into the canon of the New Testament, and Christianity's origins. It assumes the reader is familiar with the basic question of who wrote the books, when, why etc and it moves on to look in detail at what were the various emphases in the gospel proclaimed by Jesus, Luke, Paul and John. It also examines primitive Christianity's preaching and teaching, confessional formulae, oral traditions, organisation and worship, concepts of ministry and community, and ritual acts. In the second half of the book, the author maps out the scope of the diversity he found in the fist half's investigation. Here he identifies and traces the major currents within the stream of first and second generation Christianity which includes a study of Jewish Christianity, Hellenistic Christianity, Apocalyptic Christianity and Early Catholicism. The book concludes with a consideration of the repercussions of such findings, for how Christians understand the New Testament, and what it means to be Christian, today. This new edition is further enhanced with the author's consideration of these same themes, 25 years after he first wrote about them. The final chapter is the authors "critical refinement" of the ideas and issues that remain relevant and important for any realistic theology of canon to be considered today.

Featuring full color throughout, A Brief Introduction to the New Testament, Third Edition, is a concise version of Bart D. Ehrman's The New Testament: A Historical Introduction to the Early Christian Writings, Fifth Edition. Retaining the approach of the longer textbook while condensing and simplifying much of its material, this volume looks at the New Testament from a consistently historical and comparative perspective and emphasizes the rich diversity of the earliest Christian literature. Distinctive to this study is its emphasis on the historical, literary, and religious milieux of the Greco-Roman world, including early Judaism. The text incorporates a wealth of pedagogical resources including an extensive text box program, study questions, maps, timelines, and more than seventy photos (including two photo essays).

Reveals how ancient scribes erroneously or deliberately changed New Testament stories in the face of period cultural, theological, and political disputes, explaining how numerous Christian beliefs are based on altered texts.

The New Testament: A Historical Introduction to the Early Christian Writings, 6th edition

Featuring vibrant full color throughout, the sixth edition of Bart D. Ehrman's highly successful introduction approaches the New Testament from a consistently historical and comparative perspective, emphasizing the rich diversity of the earliest Christian literature. Distinctive to this study is its unique focus on the historical, literary, and religious milieux of the Greco-Roman world, including early Judaism. As part of its historical orientation, the book also discusses other Christian writings that were roughly contemporary with the New Testament, such as the Gospel of Thomas, the Apocalypse of Peter, and the letters of Ignatius.
NEW TO THIS EDITION:
-An updated organization placing Acts after all of the Gospel chapters
-A thoroughly rewritten and updated section on Gnosticism
-A brief Introduction, 'Why Study the New Testament?'
-Twelve new text boxes on important issues ranging from 'Key Figures in Israel's Past' to 'New Testament Views of Slavery'
-A new excursus on various approaches to studying the New Testament, including feminist, post-colonial, and liberationist perspectives
-A new photo essay on the material remains of the 'Cities and Roads of Paul'
-An Ancillary Resource Center with instructor's resources and an updated Companion Website featuring student resources

Peter, Paul & Mary Magdalene: The Followers of Jesus in History and Legend

Bart Ehrman, author of the highly popular books Truth and Fiction in The Da Vinci Code, Lost Christianities, and the New York Times bestseller Misquoting Jesus, here takes readers on another engaging tour of the early Christian church, illuminating the lives of Jesus' most intriguing followers: Simon Peter, the Apostle Paul, and Mary Magdalene. What does the Bible tell us about each of these key followers of Christ? What legends have sprung up about them in the centuries after their deaths? Was Paul bow-legged and bald? Was Peter crucified upside down? Was Mary Magdalene a prostitute? In this lively work, Ehrman separates fact from fiction, presenting complicated historical issues in a clear and informative way and relating vivid anecdotes culled from the traditions of these three followers. He notes, for instance, that there is no evidence to suggest that Mary Magdalene was a prostitute (this legend can be traced to a sermon preached by Gregory the Great five centuries after her death), and little reason to think that she was married to Jesus. Similarly, there is no historical evidence for the well-known tale that Peter was crucified upside down. A serious book but vibrantly written and leavened with many colorful stories, Peter, Paul, and Mary Magdalene will appeal to anyone curious about the early Christian church and the lives of these important figures.

The New Testament And Other Early Christian Writings. A Reader. 2-th ed

This text provides a comprehensive anthology of early Christian writing, which includes virtually every available piece produced during the first 100 years of Christian history. Ehrman's general introduction shows how the canon of the New Testament was formulated and how other texts were excluded from the canon. He also provides brief up-to-date introductions to each of the texts, incorporating contemporary scholarship. For this edition the "Martyrdom of Polycarp" has been added and many of the older translations have been replaced with newer and more up-to-date versions.

Herodias successfully plotted the death of John the Baptist. This biographical overview studies Herodias' role in New Testament history and her life as a Jewish aristocratic woman who moved in first century C.E. Roman circles. Herodias provides allusions, quotes, and lighthearted subtitles that command the attention of readers. Clearly organized and detailed, Herodias is ideal for undergraduate students and those interested in further biographical Bible study--both those with extensive Bible background and those recently introduced to the faith.

Since this Companion to the New Testament was first published in 1970, new methods of interpretation and sustained research into the environment of Jesus, and the early church, have combined to correct former misunderstandings and to set old problems in a new light. This fully revised second edition now follows the New Revised Standard Version (NRSV) to provide a running commentary on the text of the New Testament while taking account of the findings of recent scholarship. Using no technical language, it aims to set the text in the context of the time and place in which it was written, and to clarify its meaning in the light of modern methods of research and interpretation. Accessible and up-to-date, this work will be invaluable to clergy, students and all who have a serious interest in the New Testament.

The texts of the New Testament have long been understood to require interpretation in the light of the Hebrew Bible, Qumran and other postbiblical literary and documentary sources. Conversely, they provide an invaluable source for the reconstruction of halakhah in the late Second Commonwealth period. These essays illustrate the complexity of the inter-relationships, and the methodological issues which arise: the legal content of the texts cannot be separated from the intertextualities of Jewish theology. The topics cover letter and spirit, prophecy and law, forgiveness, the accounts of Jesus' trial(s) , the evidence required for legal and theological claims, shepherding images, disinheritance (the prodigal son), marriage and divorce.

New Testament Theology in a Secular World is an important and original new work in Christian apologetics. It is the first book to apply constructivist theory to biblical studies. Biblical Studies scholar Peter Lampe tackles head on such questions as: What do we understand by `reality`? How does this relate to what theology calls the `reality of God` or the `reality of resurrection`? How can we account for the concept of `revelation`? Lampe argues that in talking about `reality` theologians must make an effort to engage with the concept of `reality` as it is discussed in the fields of philosophical epistemology and sociology of knowledge. However, as Lampe shows, Theology has so far hardly or only reluctantly participated in this dialogue.

This is the fifth and final installment of William Loader's authoritative, acclaimed series on attitudes toward sexuality in the ancient world.

Sexual themes are never far beneath the surface where there are human beings. This was certainly the case for Christians in the first-century world. Some began in a strongly Jewish context and worked out their faith in dialogue with their scriptural heritage. Others had to work out their sexual ethics in a world strongly influenced by Greco-Roman ideals and practices.

In The New Testament on Sexuality William Loader explores the relevant cultural contexts and looks at New Testament texts related to sexuality, highlighting both the warnings about sexual wrongdoing and the affirmations of sexual union. He deals with specific themes such as divorce, same-sex relations, women and men in leadership, and celibacy; individual behavior, gender roles and rules, preferences, and hopes also fall under the scope of his investigation. Broad-ranging and thorough, this book engages both the biblical texts and the diverse ways in which they have been interpreted.

A Psycho-Spiritual View on the Message of Jesus in the Gospels. Presence and Transformation in Some Logia as a Sign of Mysticism

A Psycho-Spiritual View on the Message of Jesus in the Gospels explores elements of mysticism in the words of Jesus. Four fields are analyzed with the help of two key concepts of mysticism: presence of the divine and transformation of the self. Analyses, semantic and otherwise, reveal alternative understandings on each of the four fields.

Psuche appears as 'self' ('mind-and-heart') rather than as 'life', for example, in the Good Shepherd passage (dedicating one's self), or in the saving and losing logia in Mark 8.35 par, calling for transformation. Pneuma in the Gospels appears both in a definite form and indefinitely: next to the Holy Spirit, there is holy spirit active and present, implying that baptism literally is immersing in holy spirit. Repentance (metanoia) is alternatively to be understood as transformation of the self, and is not necessarily connected to 'sin.'

Finally, the Kingdom of God, in line with theologian Adolf von Harnack, is found to be present (it has approached, eggiken) and is a reality inside (entos) the human being, a musterion, apart from its references to the eschaton or to a paradisiacal new world. Parables teach about the Kingdom as a spiritual entity in and around the human being: presence of the divine, closely connected with transformation of the self. These findings open up to a psycho-spiritual understanding of the message (euaggelion) of Jesus.

The authors build on their earlier social-scientific works and enhance the highly successful commentary model they developed in their social-scientific commentaries. This volume is a thoroughly revised edition of this popular commentary. They include an introduction that lays the foundation for their interpretation, followed by an examination of each unit in the Synoptics, employing methodologies of cultural anthropology, macro-sociology, and social psychology.

In this engaging introduction to the New Testament, Professor Dale Martin presents an historical study of the origins of Christianity by analyzing the literature of the earliest Christian movements. Focusing mainly on the New Testament, he also considers non-Biblical Christian writings of the era. Martin begins by making a powerful case for the study of the New Testament. He next sets the Greco-Roman world in historical context and explains the place of Judaism within it. In the discussion of each New Testament book that follows, the author addresses theological themes, then emphasizes the significance of the writings as ancient literature and as sources for historical study. Throughout the volume, Martin introduces various early Christian groups and highlights the surprising variations among their versions of Christianity.

Early Christain Reader. Christian Texts from the First and Second Centuries in Contemporary English Translations including the NRSV of the New Testament

For studying early Christianity in its historical context, standard editions of the New Testament fail to provide the best resources. They present the earliest Christian writings out of chronological order and omit writings similar in age and historical importance to the books of the New Testament.

In the Early Christian Reader, these texts are arranged in a more historically meaningful order. The books of the New Testament are presented in the NRSV, the most widely accepted version in university classrooms today. Also included are translations of the Gospel of Thomas, the Didache, the Letter of Barnabas, 1 Clement, and the letters of Ignatius.

Each work's introduction discusses the date and place of composition, authorship, audience, basic themes, literary features, the Jewish and Hellenistic contexts, and suggestions for further readings in the secondary literature. Generous notes illuminate specific historical, lexical, and interpretive issues.

Broader issues affecting the treatment of these texts are introduced in seven lead articles. Each section opens with discussions of pseudonomous authorship, church tradition, synoptic sources, epistles as documents, conflicting doctrines, and originating events.

This approach allows the Early Christian Reader to offer an objective, informed entree into the complex world of the earliest Christian literature. Informative appendixes, maps, and charts make this an ideal text for the university or college classroom.

This book examines the New Testament teaching that Christ was the one through whom God made the world. While scholars usually interpret this doctrine as arising from the equation of Jesus and the Wisdom of God, Sean McDonough argues that it had its roots in the church's memories of Jesus' miracles. These memories, coupled with the experience of spiritual renewal in the early church, established Jesus as the definitive agent of God's new creation in the New Testament writings and the teachings of the Early Church.

Following the logic that 'the end is like the beginning' Christ was taken to be the agent of primal creation. This insight was developed in light of Old Testament creation texts, viewed from within a 'messianic matrix' of interpretation. God gives his Word, his Spirit, and his Wisdom to his Messiah from the very beginning; and the Messiah, the radiance of God's glory, establishes the cosmos in accordance with God's purposes. Creation is the beginning of messianic dominion; he rules the world he made.

McDonough carefully substantiates his thesis through a detailed exegesis of the relevant New Testament texts in the context of related texts in Judaism and Greco-Roman philosophy. He concludes with a survey of the doctrine of Christ as Creator in the work of six theologians: Justin Martyr, Irenaeus, Athanasius, Karl Barth, Jurgen Moltmann, and Wolfhart Pannenberg.

The Text of the New Testament. Its Transmission, Corruption, and Restoration

This thoroughly revised edition of Bruce M. Metzger's classic work is the most up-to-date manual available for the textual criticism of the New Testament. The Text of the New Testament, Fourth Edition, has been invigorated by the addition of Bart D. Ehrman--author of numerous best-selling books on the New Testament--as a coauthor. This revision brings the discussion of such important matters as the early Greek manuscripts and methods of textual criticism up to date, integrating recent research findings and approaches into the body of the text (as opposed to previous revisions, which compiled new material and notes into appendices). The authors also examine new areas of interest, including the use of computers in the collection and evaluation of manuscript evidence and the effects that social and ideological influences had upon the work of scribes. The standard text for courses in biblical studies and the history of Christianity since its first publication in 1964, The Text of the New Testament is poised to become a definitive resource for a whole new generation of students.

The Expression Son of Man and the Development of Christology. A History of Interpretation

The Expression Son of Man and the Development of Christology. A History of Interpretation
'Son of Man' is practically the only self-designation employed by Jesus himself in the gospels, but is used in such a way that no hint is left of any particular theological significance. Still, during the first many centuries of the church, the expression as it was reused was given content, first-literally-as signifying Christ's human nature. Later 'Son of Man' was thought to be a christological title in its own right. Today, many scholars are inclined to think that, in an originalA" Aramaic of an historical Jesus, it was little more than a rhetorical circumlocution, referring to the one speaking. The Expression 'Son of Man' and the Development of Christology is the first study of the 'Son of Man' trope, which traces the history of interpretation from the Apostolic Fathers to the present, concluding that the various interpretations of this phrase reflect little more than the various doctrinal assumptions held by its interpreters over centuries.

The Expression Son of Man and the Development of Christology. A History of Interpretation

'Son of Man' is practically the only self-designation employed by Jesus himself in the gospels, but is used in such a way that no hint is left of any particular theological significance. Still, during the first many centuries of the church, the expression as it was reused was given content, first-literally-as signifying Christ's human nature. Later 'Son of Man' was thought to be a christological title in its own right. Today, many scholars are inclined to think that, in an originalA" Aramaic of an historical Jesus, it was little more than a rhetorical circumlocution, referring to the one speaking. The Expression 'Son of Man' and the Development of Christology is the first study of the 'Son of Man' trope, which traces the history of interpretation from the Apostolic Fathers to the present, concluding that the various interpretations of this phrase reflect little more than the various doctrinal assumptions held by its interpreters over centuries.

For the past forty years, but for only the first time in history, Christian scholars fluent in Hebrew and living in the land of Israel have collaborated with Jewish scholars to examine Jesus' sayings from a Judaic and Hebraic perspective. The result of this research confirms that Jesus was an organic part of the diverse social and religious landscape of Second Temple-period Judaism. He, like other Jewish sages of his time, used specialized methods to teach foundational Jewish theological concepts such as God's abundant grace. Jesus' teaching was revolutionary in a number of ways, particularly in three areas: his radical interpretation of the biblical commandment of mutual love; his call for a new morality; and his idea of the Kingdom of Heaven.
Jerusalem Studies in the Synoptic Gospels, the initial volume, focuses on the Passion Narratives in a search for the Historical Jesus. It also reexamines the synoptic problem in light of recent historical and archaeological research. The volume represents the first attempt by members and associates of the Jerusalem School to apply collectively the methodology pioneered by Robert Lindsey and David Flusser. Included in the volume is the final article written by the late Professor Flusser, The Synagogue and the Church in the Synoptic Gospels.

The book is going through its biggest revolution since Gutenberg. Thanks to computer tools and electronic publication, the concept and realisation of critical editions are being rethought. As so often in the history of scholarship, editors of the New Testament are making a vital contribution to these changes. In this book, originally the Lyell Lectures in Bibliography at Oxford, David C. Parker explores textual scholarship, in particular the idea of the edition. He argues that textual scholarship has had an important influence on the meaning given to the term 'New Testament'. Starting with the observation that a text is a process, not an object, he proposes a new way of understanding the relationship between manuscripts, the texts which manuscripts contain and the work they represent as the basis for critical scholarship. This leads him to challenge the idea of a 'Greek New Testament manuscript', and thus to reconsider the nature of the New Testament as a collection of works and the nature and purpose of critical editions. By studying new tools for studying how manuscripts are related to each other, he shows how the modern digital edition of the New Testament has overcome the impasses created by the failure of Lachmannian stemmatics to deal with the problem of contamination. Exploring the emergence of the critical edition in modern scholarship, Parker discusses the ways in which a digital edition advances scholarship and gives the reader more opportunities both to scrutinise the quality of the edition and to access the raw data on which it is based. The whole book uses New Testament research as a paradigm of wider changes in textual scholarship.

Divine Rhetoric. The Sermon on the Mount as Message and as Model for Augustine, Chrysostom and Luther

Of the many themes that classical Antiquity and early Christianity had in common, for all their profound differences, none was more influential than their love of language. It was the Greek and Roman rhetorical theorists who called the attention of later generations to the importance of speech and language. Likewise, when the author of the Fourth Gospel needed a comprehensive metaphor to describe the eternal significance of Jesus Christ, he turned to speech, calling him the Logos, the Word And Reason Of God, through whom the universe was made and by whom it was upheld. What would happen when these two systems of interpreting persuasive language collided - and yet in some sense converged? To answer that question, this book examines three interpretations of the most universally acknowledged piece of rhetoric in the history of the west, the Sermon on The Mount, from the latin and Catholic tradition (St.Augustine), the Greek and Orthodox tradition ( St. Chrysostom) and the Reformation and Protestant tradition (Martin Luther). Each is acknowledged in his tradition as a prince of the pulpit. Togethor and yet seperately, they illuminate both the sermon and the speaker for anyone who still takes the challenge of the faith - and of language - seriously.

Adele Reinhartz offers a thorough reconsideration of Caiaphas in the Gospels and other ancient texts as well as in subsequent visual arts, literature, film, and drama. The portrait that emerges challenges long-held beliefs about this New Testament figure by examining the background of the high priesthood and exploring the relationships among the high priest, the Roman leadership, and the Jewish population.

Reinhartz does not seek to exonerate Caiaphas from culpability in the crucifixion, but she does expand our understanding of Caiaphass complex religious and political roles in biblical literature and his culturally loaded depiction in ongoing Jewish-Christian dialogue.

Since its emergence a few years ago, postcolonial biblical criticism has witnessed swift expansion and development in Biblical Studies. This critical approach has been increasingly applied to biblical texts as well as modern and postmodern interpretations and interpreters of these texts, yielding an ever-growing body of dissertations, scholarly articles, and volumes. In the process, this approach has become increasingly sophisticated as well in matters of method and theory. This Postcolonial Commentary on the New Testament Writings represents a critical benchmark in postcolonial biblical criticism. Indeed, the Commentary stands as the most comprehensive application to date of postcolonial criticism to the biblical texts, with its focus on the entire corpus of the New Testament. It places the reality and ramifications of imperial-colonial frameworks and relations at the centre of biblical criticism. The various entries pursue their analysis across a broad range of concerns and through a number of different approaches. They show, among other things, how texts and interpretations construct and/or relate to their respective imperial-colonial contexts; foreground literary, rhetorical, and ideological marks of coloniality and postcoloniality in both texts and interpretations; reveal how postcolonial reading strategies disrupt and destabilize hegemonic biblical criticism; and engage in critical dialogue with the visions and projects identified in texts as well as in interpretations. Toward this end, the Commentary has recourse to a highly distinguished and diversified roster of scholars, making this a definite point of reference for years to come.

In this book Sesboue addresses the issue of Church Tradition and its meaning and significance for contemporary Christian life. One cannot rediscover the Gospels in their pure state by ignoring subsequent history, because that history has been tested by time and by people within the community of faith. The Church is the bearer of this witness throughout the ages and is subject to the judgement of this witness. This is what is referred to as Tradition. The understanding of what we do with this Tradition and the dogmas of the Church 'Which can easily be placed in opposition to the Gospel' is at the top of the contemporary agenda in the dialogue between Catholics and Protestants regarding the manner in which tradition is used in relationship with Scripture; and with some among the Orthodox, who tend to magnify its role. This issue is also becoming a matter of serious dissent among Catholics, raising the question of the Mass according to the Roman Rite of Pius V. The author offers this book in good faith as a resource that may assist in promoting authentic reconciliation as the result of these necessary debates. Sesboue holds that true Tradition, which is the transmission of the Gospel from the Apostles to us, has always linked the new with the old. It has nothing to do with a recurrent, fixed understanding of the Church; such a view would be historically inaccurate and incompatible with a correct understanding of dogma. The author illustrates this thesis on the basis of historical evidence and theological argumentations. He concludes with a reflection on the new roles to which the Gospel leads us today.

This broadly adopted textbook weds literary and historical approaches to focus on the New Testament's structure and meaning. Anatomy of the New Testament is systematic, critical, and reliable in its scope and content.

This Seventh Edition has been revised throughout to take account of current trends in scholarship and to discuss important interpretative issues, such as the Gospel of Thomas. Each chapter includes two new features:
-Have You Learned It? offering questions for analysis and synthesis
-What Do They Mean? presenting definitions of key terms to enhance student comprehension and critical thinking

The text is augmented by numerous sidebars to stimulate discussion of matters 'Behind', 'Within', and 'Beyond the New Testament'.
Other new features include:
-a more readable two-column format
-fresh, up-to-date maps
-nearly 100 new images and illustrations in black and white and color
-new charts and diagrams that facilitate deeper learning
-thoroughly updated bibliographies

For over forty years, this widely acclaimed introduction to the New Testament weds literary and historical approaches to focus on the New Testament's structure and meaning. Esteemed New Testament scholars Robert A. Spivey, D. Moody Smith, and C. Clifton Black provide teachers and students with a reading of early Christian literature that is at once systematic, critical, and reliable in its scope and content.

New features of the sixth edition include:
-Thorough revisions of all chapters.
-A new Prologue, Epilogue, a new chapter on 1 Corinthians, fresh material on visions of the future, and updated bibliographies.
-Greater attention to contemporary questions about Jesus.
-New sidebars highlighting points of interest and addressing questions in depth.
-New maps and newly selected photographs and art.

The Reliability of the New Testament. Bart D. Ehrman and Daniel B. Wallace in dialogue

This volume highlights points of agreement and disagreement between two leading scholars on the subject of the textual reliability of the New Testament: Bart Ehrman, James A. Gray Distinguished Professor at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and author of the best-selling book Misquoting Jesus: The Story Behind Who Changed the Bible and Why, and Daniel Wallace, Professor of New Testament Studies at Dallas Theological Seminary and Executive Director of the Center for the Study of New Testament Manuscripts.This conversation between Ehrman and Wallace allows the reader to see in print how each presents his position in light of the other's. Contributions follow from an interdisciplinary team featuring specialists in biblical studies, philosophy, and theology. The textual reliability of the New Testament is logically prior to its interpretation and thus important for the Christian religion. This book provides interested readers a fair and balanced case for both sides and allows them to decide for themselves: What does it mean for a text to be textually reliable? How reliable is the New Testament? How reliable is reliable enough?

John Sturdy's unfinished book was conceived as a reply to John Robinson's "Redating the New Testament", published in 1975. The once-liberal Bishop of Woolwich took a much too conservative stand towards the end of his life, Sturdy believed, when it came to dating the New Testament literature. Where Robinson tended to date all the New Testament material very early, Sturdy took a much more radical view which began from the attempt to examine the so-called "fixed points" of New Testament scholarship. Sturdy came to a view which saw the genuine Pauline letters as in places interpolated; regarded Colossians, Ephesians and the Pastorals as pseudonymous; identified a divorce in authorship between Luke and Acts; and believed "Matthew" the last of the "Synoptic Gospels" to be written, with John assigned to the period c.140 CE. The lynchpin of Sturdy's argument is his view that the Ignatian letters are pseudonymous and were written towards the end of the second century CE. For Sturdy, this removed the need to set other texts impossibly early given the knowledge that the Ignatian letters show of the New Testament material. Thus, he sets the Johannines, 2 Peter and Revelation c.1 50 CE, along with the Didache; and concluded that John 21 was not written until 160 CE. Sturdy's book is required reading for New Testament scholars for two related reasons. First of all, it states a "radical" case in a research environment which has become increasingly conservative. Secondly - and most importantly - it shows that this radicalism is not merely his own aberration but stands in a long tradition of scholarship represented in Germany by the Tuebingen School and its successors, and in England by Davidson and Bishop Barnes. The book is richly documented with extensive references to secondary literature, and serves as an indispensable research compendium for that reason.

The New Testament. A Short Introduction. A Guide to early Christianity and the Synoptic Gospels.

This guide balances detailed textual analysis with background information on early Christianity, providing a guide to the writings of the New Testament. Drawing on a wide range of scholarship, from ancient Roman historians and philosophers to the investigations of today's leading authorities, the author offers a fascinating picture of the historical, social, cultural and religious world out of which the New Testament emerged. Examining the backdrop of the Roman and Hellenistic Empires, and the growth of the early Church, this book explores the Synoptic Gospels and the manner of their composition, in addition to covering such key topics as: the origin and development of early Christian beliefs within the New Testament the methods used by scholars to interpret biblical texts the transition from oral to written tradition. With a narrative punctuated by charts and tables, and featuring a full bibliography and detailed notes, this introduction is suitable for students, scholars and interested general readers alike.75

Gerd Theissen takes up the problem of the emergence of the New Testament canon out of the wide variety of early Christian literature. Drawing from Max Weber's discussion of the evolution of religious organizations, Theissen describes the development of early Christian literature as a series of phases in the life of the movement: the charismatic, the pseudepigraphic, the functional, and the canonical.

There is no better book than this to introduce any reader to the New Testament.
Gerd Theissen presents all the main issues straightforwardly, but with a depth of scholarship and brilliance of analysis that is unsurpassed. Gerd Theissen's approach is so interesting and illuminating that anyone considering the New Testament for the first time, and even experienced students, will value this book immeasurably.

The First Edition of the New Testament is a groundbreaking book that argues that the New Testament is not the product of a centuries-long process of development. Its history, David Trobisch contends, is the history of a book--an all Greek Christian bible--published as early as the second century C.E. and intended by its editors to be read as a whole. Trobisch claims that this bible achieved wide circulation and formed the basis of all surviving manuscripts of the New Testament.

Christ's Resurrection in Early Christianity and the Making of the New Testament

Why is the Resurrection of Christ so remote, almost non-existent in many early Christian writings of the first 140 years of Christianity? This is the first Patristic book to focus on the development of the belief in the Resurrection of Christ through the first centuries A.D. By Paul, Christ's Resurrection is regarded as the basis of Christian hope. In the fourth century it becomes a central Christian tenet. But what about the discrepancy in the first three centuries? This thought provoking book explores this core topic in Christian culture and theology. Taking a broad approach - including iconography, archaeology, history, philosophy, Jewish Studies and theology - Markus Vinzent offers innovative reading of well known biblical and other texts complemented by rarely discussed evidence.

Christ's Resurrection in Early Christianity takes the reader on a fascinating journey through the wilderness of unorthodox perspectives in the breadth of early Christian writings. It is an eye-opening experience with insights into the craftsmanship of early Christianity - and the earliest existential debates about life and death, death and life - all centred on the cross, on suffering, enduring and sacrifice.

Christ's Resurrection in Early Christianity and the Making of the New Testament

Why is the Resurrection of Christ so remote, almost non-existent in many early Christian writings of the first 140 years of Christianity? This is the first Patristic book to focus on the development of the belief in the Resurrection of Christ through the first centuries A.D. By Paul, Christ's Resurrection is regarded as the basis of Christian hope. In the fourth century it becomes a central Christian tenet. But what about the discrepancy in the first three centuries? This thought provoking book explores this core topic in Christian culture and theology. Taking a broad approach - including iconography, archaeology, history, philosophy, Jewish Studies and theology - Markus Vinzent offers innovative reading of well known biblical and other texts complemented by rarely discussed evidence.

Christ's Resurrection in Early Christianity takes the reader on a fascinating journey through the wilderness of unorthodox perspectives in the breadth of early Christian writings. It is an eye-opening experience with insights into the craftsmanship of early Christianity - and the earliest existential debates about life and death, death and life - all centred on the cross, on suffering, enduring and sacrifice.